City of Boston is purchasing a new state of the art fireboat with Chemical, Biological, Radiological emergency response capability for the Boston Fire Department.
This new vessel will replace the current fireboat “FIREFIGHTER” which has been in service since 1972 and does not have the capabilities need for a modern emergency response fireboat. “Purchasing a new fireboat will greatly enhance public safety in the City and in Boston Harbor and I commend Commissioner Fraser and his staff for their hard work on this issue,” stated Mayor Thomas M Menino. The City received two grants from the Department of Homeland Security for $2 million towards the construction of this vessel with the remaining $2.2 million funded by the city through the Fire Department’s capital plan. The vessel will be named “JOHN S. DAMRELL” after the former Chief Engineer of the Boston Fire Department who battled Boston’s Great Fire of 1872 and who later became Boston’s first Inspector of Buildings during the 1880’s. Damrell was instrumental in bringing great improvements to the fire service as well as being instrumental in creating modern building codes at the national level.
The new vessel can hit whopping speeds of 36 knots with its 4 x IVECO’s C13 @ 825 Hip per engine & Hamilton 364 water jets. Gearing for pumps and propulsion was from ZF gear of Germany. Also impressive are the pump numbers…….it produces over 12,000 GPM at 150 PSI with Hale quad 8 FKF pumps. The main electronic monitor is a roof mounted Stang 5500 GPM w/400 (including a 300 gallon foam system) foot reach with 2 x Elkhart 2000 GPM & 2 x Elkhart 1250 GPM deck monitors. Detection equipment has been installed to detect interior and exterior CBRNE agents; the bridge has a breathable air system which provides front line defense for the Port and City of Boston.